Wardrobe case



J, RITTER, JR

WARDROBE CASE Jan. 3, 1933.

Filed OGL. l5. 1930 l N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

i trade,

Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITE-1D STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIUS VRI'IWIER,JR., OF 'RACINE WISCONSIN.A`SSIGNOR TO IIARTMANN TRUNK COMPANY, OFRACINE, WISCONSIN, .A COBPORATION OF WISCONSIN WARDROBE CASE rl`hisinvention relates in general to :improvements in the art ofymanufacturing luggage carrier cases, and relates more specifically toimprovements in the construction of joints and `connect-ing `elementsbetween the sections constituting the body or housing of wardrobesuitcases or the like.-

A general object of theinvention :is to provide a carrier case which issimple and durable in construction, and which provides an effective `anddustproof housing of neat vappearance.

Numerous types of wardrobe, suitcases and the like, have heretofore beenodered `to the these cases being so designated because of the fact thatthey makek provision for the storage of wearing apparel of variouskinds. Due .to the more rreoentextensive transportation Vby'air, it isnecessary to place certain limitations upon vthe bulk of the baggage,and many ofthe priorA wardrobe cases are decidedly unsuitable for such'transportation due to their great size, lackV of strength, and generalconstruction.

It is a more specific objectv of the present invention to provide an:improved carrier case which is especially adapted for aerialtransportation by virtue of its great strength and compactness. l

Another speciiic `object of the invention is to provideV an improveddustproofjoint between the sections constituting the body of a luggagecarrier case, which notonly serves to effectively prevent Yingress ofdust by providing a tight joint, but which also :adds strength to thecase without yadding undesirable weiglit.

A further -specificiobject of the invention is to provide simple andefiicient means for uniting the body sections of a sectional suitcase orthe like, and for permitting convenient detachment of the sections.

Still another specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedcorner construct-ion for'luggage carrier cases, whereby a rigid casingstructure results.

rhese. and other objects and advantages .will appear from the followingdescription.

The present application is a continuation in part of co-pendingapplication VSerial Numb'er1276,673, liled May 10th, 1928, whichdiscloses novelfeatures vof valance construction'specically claimedherein. Some of the novel features of wardrobe case corner and edgeconstruction disclosed but `not speciii- 55 callyclaimed herein, formthe subject of copending application Serial Number 253,058, filedFebruary V9th, 1929. Some of the novel features of tongue and grooveconnection between the cover and base sections of a 60wardrobexsuitcase, disclosed but not specifically claimed herein, aredisclosed in the copending application Serial No. 385,292, filed January26th, 1929, now Patent No. 1,7 99,251, April 7., 1931. j

A clear conception of embodiments of the severalinovel featuresconstituting the present invention and `of the mode of constructing andof manipulating cases built in accordance therewith, Vmay be had vbyreferring 7,6 tothe drawing accompanying and forming a part of thisspeciiication, in which like reference characters-designate the same orsimilar .parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through 75 an improved wardrobesuitcase having the outer covering omitted therefrom;

, Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the improvedvalance constituting the joint between the sections of the 80 case shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isan elevation of one of the corners of the case shown in Fig. 1,looking directly into the special corner tting, the covering vhavingbeen omitted for the sake of clearness Fig. i is an enlarged sideelevation of the lower portion of the improved case, some of the partshaving been broken away and the outer covering having likewise beenomitted for the sake of clearness; and "0 Fig. 5 is a section throughthe lower portion of the vcase,'the section being taken along the line5-5 of Fig. 4 a-nd the outer covering having been likewise lomitted `forthe sake of clearness.

The improved Vwardrobe suitcase specifically shown in the drawing bywayof illustration, comprises a body consisting of an L-shaped basesection 6and a cover section 7 cooperating with the base section toprovide a 195 complete housing. rlhe walls and corners of the sections6, 7 are preferably constructed of ply wood in accordance with thedisclosure in said application Serial Number 253,053, in order toprovide a light case of maximum strength. The interior of the basesection 6 may be provided with a rack and clothes hangers of usualconstruction, and the cover section 7 which is freely removable from thebase section, may be provided with partitions 11 as shown, secured tothe walls of this section by means of metal angle brackets and rivetshaving fiat heads which lie flush with (he outer surfaces of theysection walls.

The lower portion of the cover section 7 may also be provided withdetachable hinges 22 comprising metal hook portions coacting with metalsocket portions as show'n in Figs. l and 4. These hinges cooperate witheXtensions or tongues 8 formed integral with the opposite side walls ofthe cover section 7, and with a suitable lock 10 coacting with the upperends of the sections 6, 7 remote from the hinges, to maintain the casein closed condition. While the hinges 22 serve to effectively retain thecover section 7 in closed position, they nevertheless permit freeremoval of the cover section, or separation of the sections, when thecover section 7 has been swung open as shown in Fig. 1. rlChe tongues 8are adapted to interlock with relatively deep grooves formed at theupper edges of the sides of the horizontal portion of the base section6, in a manner similar to that shown in said application Serial Number385,292. In the present case, however, this interlock is obtained bymeans of Z-shaped metal strips 17 and metal plates 19 co-actingtherewith, the plates 19 having integral end flanges 18 cooperable withthe inner surface of the cover section to resist inward bending of themain cover wall when the case is closed. The strips 17 and plates 19 arerigidly united and secured to the reinforced upper edges of the basesection walls, by means of long rivets 20 having heads which lie flushwith the outer surface of the case, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5.

The remainina` coacting edge portions of the sections 6, 7, remote fromthe hinges 22, are provided with an improved dustproof valanceconsisting of a channel or U-shaped metal strip 12 resting upon the edgeof the side Walls of one of the sections 6, 7 to form an elongatedrecess or groove 15. While the strip 12 is shown as being attached tothe base section, this strip may obviously be attached to the coversection instead, and the strip 12 has a single integral flange co-actingwith the inner adjacent surface of its supporting section 6. The edge ofthe cover section is adapted to enter and to snugly fit the valancegroove 15, and the strip 12 is rifridly attached to its supportingsection 6 by means of rivets 14, the outer surfaces of the heads ofwhich likewise lie flush with the outer surface of the case. The metalstrip 12 extends around the inner portions of the corners, but is cutaway at the outer corner portions as shown 1n F 1g. 3. Metal remforcmgcorner pieces 16 are secured to the valance supporting section 6 at thecorners, and these corner pieces are held in place by means of rivets 14as shown in Fig. 1.

The entire 'external surface of the case is protected and concealed bymeans of a suitable covering 13 which also conceals and covers thestrips 12,17 and the plates 19. The covering extends within the casesections 6, 7 sufficiently to enable the case lining to be brought overthe edges thereof. The base section 6 may furthermore be provided with ahandle 9 secured to the section by stitching, and the inner flange ofthe strip 12 may be provided with cut-outs 21 as shown in Fig. 1, inorder to permit such attachment of the handle 9 by stitching.

By providing the valance with a flange on the inside only of the case,in order to permit attachment thereof to the side walls of thesupporting section 6, machine driven rivets 14 may be utilized and theheads of these rivets may be embedded into the wooden walls so as tomaintain the outer surface of the case smooth for attachment of thecovering 13. If the valance were provided with inner and outer flanges,this would not be permissible and the exterior surface of the case wouldpresent an uneven appearance at the place of attachment of the valance.The use of the flanges on opposite sides of the walls would alsonecessitate the use of solid rivets, and machine driven rivets such asemployed with the single flange construction, could not be utilized.

The single supporting flange also permits convenient application of thehandle 9 by sewing. All that is necessary in order to permit applicationof parts by sewing through the wooden walls, is to provide the cut-outs21, whereupon the handle retainers may be applied by stitching directlythrough these retainers and through the covering 13 and wooden casewalls. The use of a double flange construction would necessitate cuttingout both the inside and the outside flanges, and the cut-out in theoutside flange would produce an uneven appearance of the covering 13.

The improved corner construction comprising the corner pieces 16,permits accurate tting of the valance strip along the sides of thesupporting section 6, and the flange on the inside of each corner pieceprovides a reinforcement which strengthens the corners of the case.

The valance construction for receiving the extensions 8 at the oppositesides of the case, likewise materially strengthens the case and preventsdistortion of the cover at the hinges 22, and spreading of the lower endof the cover section 7. The flanges 18 likewise prevent distortion ofthe cover section, and it will be apparent that any other type of hingethan that disclosed, may be utilized between the sections 6, 7.

The improved valance construction not only eliminates possible ingressof dust, but also materially enhances the rigidity of the case, withoutundesirably increasing the weight thereof. Cases provided with this typeof valance construction present an extremely neat appearance by virtueof the fact that the cover 13 lies smooth and is not bulged and causedto lie uneven by the use of outwardly projecting rivet heads and valanceattaching flanges.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact details of construction herein shown and described, forvarious modifications within the scope of the claims may occur topersons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a carrier case, body and cover sections formed of non-metallicsheet material, a metal channel supported by one of said sections andforming an elongated recess extending along an edge of said section andadapted to receive the edge of the other section, said channel having anintegral locally interrupted flange secured to the inner surface of thewall of said supportinff section, and a handle having retainers securedto sait supporting section within the interruptions in said flange.

2. In a carrier case, body and cover sections formed of non-metallicsheet material, a metal channel supp rted by one of said sections andforming an elongated rec-ess extending along an edge of said section andadapted to receive the edge of the other section, said channel having anintegral locally interrupted flange secured to the inner surface of thewall of said supporting section, a covering for the outer surface ofsaid wall and for said channel, and a handle having retainers sewed tosaid supporting section and to said covering within the interruptions insaid flange.

In a carrier case, a base section having a lateral extension, Z-shapedstrips coacting with the upper side edges of said extension, platescooperating with said strips within said base section to form recesses,and a cover section having integral projections cooperable with saidgrooves to retain said cover section in closed position relative to saidbase section.

l. In a carrier case, a base section formed of non-1netallic sheetmaterial and having a lateral extension provided with side walls and anend wall connect-ing said side walls, a metal plate secured to the innersurface of each of said non-metallic side walls and projecting beyondthe edge thereof, each of said plates having an end projection extendingalong the inner surface of said connecting wall, means coacting withsaid plates to form grooves extending along the upper edges of said sidewalls, and a cover section coacting with said grooves and with saidprojections. 5. In a carrier case, a base section having a lateralextension provided with side walls and an end wall rigidly uniting saidside walls, a Z-shaped strip coacting with the upper edge of each ofsaid side walls, a plate secured to the inner surface of each of saidside walls and coacting with the adjacent strip to form a groove alongthe adjacent side wall edge, each of said plates having an endprojection extending along the inner surface of said connecting wall,and a cover section having integral tongues cooperable with said groovesand having a wall connecting said tongues cooperahle with saidprojections.

6. In a carrier case, a base section having a lateral extension providedwith side walls and an end wall connecting said side walls, a Z-shapedstrip coacting with the upper edge of each of said side walls, a platecooperating with each of said strips to form a groove, each of saidplates having an end projection extending along said end wall, a coverhaving side walls provided with tongues adapted to coact with saidgrooves and having another wall connecting said tongued side walls, andal separable hinge coacting with said base and cover section connectingwalls.

7. In a carrier case, a base section having side walls and a connectingwall formed of non-metallic sheet material, metal plates secured to saidside walls and having projections extending along said connecting wall,means coacting with said plates to form grooves extending along theupper edges of said side walls, a cover having tongues coacting withsaid grooves and having a wall connecting said tongues and coacting withsaid projections, and a separable hinge adapted to unite said base andcover section connecting walls.

In testimony whereof, I aihx my signature.

JULiUs RITTER, JR.

